Heuchera plant named ‘Delta Dawn’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heuchera  plant characterized by leaves which are lime green with red to dark centers in the spring, with centers lightening with age and warmer conditions, medium large, round leaves, creamy white flowers on short flowering stems, medium, mounding habit, and good vigor.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Delta Dawn’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucheraand given the cultivar name of ‘Delta Dawn’. Heuchera is in the familySaxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Delta Dawn’ originated as part of a plannedbreeding program for a large leaf, Heuchera villosa type with a strongcentral pattern that holds its color through the summer. This was across between Heuchera K67-1, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid, asthe seed parent, and Heuchera K217-6, a proprietary non-commercialhybrid, as the pollen parent.

Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera K67-1, the new cultivar is astronger plant with larger leaves.

Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera K217-6, the new cultivar has redcentral pattern rather than an all lime colored leaf.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Miracle’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,274) or Heuchera‘Tiramisu’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,439), the new cultivar has larger,rounder leaves, a larger habit, shorter flowering stems, and holds itsred center coloration longer, never losing all of it when grown outsidein Canby, Oreg.

This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:

-   -   1. leaves which are lime green with red to dark centers in the        spring, with centers lightening with age and warmer conditions,    -   2. medium large, round leaves,    -   3. creamy white flowers on short flowering stems,    -   4. medium, mounding habit,    -   5. and good vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tipcuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttingsand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a one and a half-year-old plant of Heuchera ‘Delta Dawn’growing in a two gallon container, grown outside in late May in Canby,Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a plant of the same age growing in the garden in mid Junein Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 3 shows a six-month-old plant in bloom grown in a one galloncontainer in a cold greenhouse in late March in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 4 shows a comparison of the new cultivar on the left to Heuchera‘Miracle’ on the right. These plants are the same age and grown in onegallon containers under the same conditions in a cool greenhouse. Thephoto was taken in late February in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivarbased on observations taken in late June of one and a half-year-oldspecimens growing in two gallon containers, grown outside in Canby,Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range froma high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. inJanuary. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The colordescriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.        -   Size.—19 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and            39 cm wide.        -   Habit.—Mounding.        -   Vigor.—Good.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Rosette.        -   Shape.—Broadly ovate to orbicular.        -   Lobing/division.—5 to 7 shallow lobes, shallow secondary            lobes.        -   Venation.—Palmate.        -   Margins.—Broadly crenate.        -   Apex.—Mucronulate.        -   Base.—Cordate, lobes overlapping at the base.        -   Blade size.—Grows to 11.5 cm long and 11 cm wide.        -   Surface texture.—Glandular pubescent on both sides.        -   Petiole description.—Grows to 12 cm long and 3 mm wide,            glandular hairs, Green Yellow 1C with tints of Greyed Orange            N170C on the sunny side, Greyed Purple 187B at the very            base.        -   Leaf color.—Variable depending on temperature and light,            with cooler temperatures giving deeper red colors and lower            light giving more lime than yellow tones; topside, spring            new leaves are Greyed Orange 172A with the edges Yellow            Green 151C, bottom side Yellow Green 151C with center tinted            Greyed Orange 173C; topside summer leaves Yellow Green N145A            with center and along veins Greyed Orange 175A, veins Yellow            Green 150D, bottom side Yellow Green 145B; winter leaves            topside Yellow 10A with center tinted Greyed Orange 165C,            bottom side Yellow Green 145B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Size.—Grows to 5 cm wide and 14 cm long.        -   Type.—Thyrse.        -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—About 80.        -   Number of thyrse.—About 5.        -   Peduncle.—Grows to 28 cm long and 3 mm wide at base, Yellow            Green 145A, glandular hairs.        -   Pedicel.—1.5 mm to 4 mm, with glandular hairs, Greyed Red            182B.        -   Bloom period.—Occasional blooms May through October in            Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—2.5 mm wide and 4 mm long.        -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid, down facing.        -   Color.—Yellow Green 154C.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Perfect.        -   Shape.—Campanulate.        -   Size.—6.5 mm long and 5 mm wide.        -   Corolla description.—5 petals, 3 mm long and less than 1 mm            wide, spatulate, margins entire, tip acute, glabrous on top            and bottom side, White N155B.        -   Calyx description.—Campanulate, 4.5 mm long and 3 mm wide,            with 5 lobes divided ½ way to the base, each 1.5 mm wide and            2 mm long, glandular hairs outside and glabrous inside, tip            obtuse, margin entire; color both sides Yellow Green 145C.        -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 4 mm long, White            N155B, anthers 0.6 mm, Orange Red 31B, pollen Yellow Orange            23A.        -   Pistil description.—1, 2-beaked, 5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide;            ovary 1.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, Yellow Green 145D; style            3.5 mm long, White NN155B.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lastingness.—Each thyrse blooms for about 3 weeks on the            plant.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type.—Two-beaked ovoid capsule.        -   Fertility.—Low.        -   Color.—Greyed Brown 199C.-   Seed:    -   -   Shape.—Linear.        -   Size.—2 mm long.        -   Color.—Black 202A.-   Pest and disease tolerance: Excellent disease resistance to powdery    mildew, the common problem of Heuchera. Susceptible to Heuchera rust    and root weevils.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.